Grateful Dead

RFK Stadium 1989 Box

Digital Download

LESS THAN 5000 LEFT

The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 12 & 13, 1989 includes two previously unreleased concerts taken from the band’s master 24-track analog recordings, which have been mixed by Jeffrey Norman at TRI Studios and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser. The collection’s colorful slip case features original artwork by Justin Helton and a perfect-bound book with in-depth liner notes written by Dean Budnick, editor-in-chief of Relix magazine. The set will also be available as a digital download in Apple Lossless and FLAC 192/24.

When Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, and Bob Weir rolled into D.C. in July 1989 for the Dead’s two-night stand at RFK, the band hit the stage running with a stellar rendition of “Touch Of Grey,” the group’s biggest hit from its only Top 10 album In The Dark, which was released in 1987. The following night, the band returned to its double-platinum commercial breakthrough when it opened the show with a fiery version of “Hell In A Bucket.”

“RFK Stadium '89 fell right in the middle of one of the best tours of the last 15 years of Grateful Dead performances, with these shows being the sixth and seventh of an 11-show tour. This tour is widely considered the start of a nine month period of sustained excellence, which ran from Summer '89 through Spring '90. The RFK shows are as good as any of the more famous shows from this period, including July 4 in Buffalo, July 7 in Philadelphia, and the Alpine run,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “When Bob Weir has asked me to provide copies of Grateful Dead songs to give to his bandmates to learn and rehearse, he almost always requests Summer '89, and I've often drawn upon the RFK shows for this purpose. It's really that good!”

Both shows feature standout moments, but the July 12 show is notable for a few reasons. Perhaps the biggest is that the first set featured at least one song sung by each of the band’s four lead singers – Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland – something that rarely happened. Another surprise came when the band opened the second set with “Sugaree,” a song that almost always appeared during the first set.

Pianist Bruce Hornsby — who briefly joined the band between 1990 and 1992 — is featured on both shows. He played accordion during “Sugaree” and “Man Smart (Woman Smarter),” with a touch of keyboard-tinkling, on July 12, and then played more accordion the following night for “Tennessee Jed” and “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.”

For fans of Mydland’s tenure with the Dead – which began in 1979 and ended in 1990 with the keyboardist’s tragic death – these stellar shows capture that incarnation in peak form. Among the long list of highlights are performances of live staples such as “Eyes Of The World,” “Wharf Rat” and “I Need A Miracle,” along with rarities like “To Lay Me Down,” which was played only a few times in 1989. The July 13 show also features the band road-testing “I Will Take You Home,” a track Mydland wrote with Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow that would appear later that fall on Built To Last.

I just purchased the high-resolution downloads, and checked the files. Although they occupy larger containers, there is little to no information beyond 44.1 kHz sampling frequency. In other words, you don't seem to get anything more for the extra $10.00. This is a bit frustrating, because the possibility of getting HD files was what made me purchase this set in the first place.

A few days ago Mr. J. C. McCrindle, Shawlands, took me to see a flat sandstone rock on Cleuch Farm, now Cathcart Castle golf course, Whitecraigs. He:had discovered cut upon the stone certain markings known to the antiquary as “cups and rings”. These had also been noticed by Mr. A. W. Barclay. The designs have been delicately pecked out and are unusually shallow. They are well preserved, as the surface has until now been protected by a growth of vegetation.

The writer was struck at once by the similarity of the design to that on a carved boulder found some time ago in the Bluebell Wood, Langside, about 2¾ miles distant. Closer examination showed that the designs, although not identical, had many points in common, and that in fact they record the same event.

Cupmarks on the Langside and Cleuch stones
The meaning of such designs has long been an outstanding problem of archaeology. For some years the writer has been engaged on its solution, and the markings can now be interpreted according to principles recovered after the closest examination of full-sized drawings of some hundreds of examples from this country and from abroad. The cupped stones are registers made by prehistoric astronomers who reckoned time by hours, days, years, and long cycles of years. The happening of eclipses punctuated their cycles.

A cup-marked stone furnishes the index marks of invisible geometric dials or clock faces. The markings, indicating certain days, hours, and years, usually take the form of small cup-like hollows. To read the markings we must first find the centre of the scheme, and then restore the framework of the dials and the position of their “clock hands”. Each long cycle checks the reading given by the others. They involve the periodicities of Sun, Moon, nodes, and five planets. The Langside and Cleuch stones commemorate chiefly – one and the same event – an eclipse of the Sun seen in Glasgow district in the year 2983 BC, at three o’clock in the afternoon of the sixth day after the spring equinox (March 27 in our modern reckoning).

One must dismiss the conventional notion that the pre-Roman Briton was a barbarian. The stones referred to bear records made 50 centuries ago by men who were by no means savage, but were possessed of considerable scientific knowledge. For many thousands of years even before that remote time, similar carvings were being made in all parts of the habitable world. The language used by the sculptor was one of measures and geometry. It was a.medium of expression which overstepped the limitations of race, speech,, time, and space.

To detail the method of reading the Langside stone and its corroborative witness, the Cleuch stone, is here impossible, but certain features may be outlined. It should be noted that the date 2983 BC March 27 was obtained from the Langside stone before it was possible to ascertain from independent computors that an eclipse had actually been seen in Glasgow on that date. This is nearly 2000 years before the earliest published eclipse recorded by the Viennese astronomer Oppolzer, and the visibility of the eclipse had to be specially computed in Berlin, after the data had been supplied from Glasgow.}

In 1989 I spent a whole day sitting outside the temple in Kedernath discussing all manner of things with a sadhu. Whilst he was talking to me he was also collecting 'donations' from all the devotees entering the temple. He possessed the uncanny skill of being able to tell instantly how much each person was able to give him. If they came up short, he would berate them at length until they came good. Hilarious, especially as we indulged in numerous chillums throughout the day. A truly memorable day in a breathtakingly beautiful Himalayan location. Such a shame the village of Kedernath and many other places in the vicinity were devastated by floods and landslides a few years ago with great loss of life. Fortunately the temple at Kedernath survived the onslaught.

In Mahabharat, King Janamejaya was great-grandson of Arjuna (3rd among Pandavas) and copper plate inscriptions dating back to 3012-3013 BC have been found about his donations to Hampi and Kedarnath temples.
Both the inscriptions written in Sanskrit on copper plates are about the gift of land given by Emperor Janamejaya on the same day when the Solar eclipse was on. But the gifts were made at two different places, one at Kishkindha and another at Kedarnath. The year of kali and other details of the day were exactly the same in both the inscriptions. While one of them has been found by the Archeological Dept, the other was found by a devotee to Kedarnath who recorded the contents of the copper plate preserved in Kedarnath till today (more than 5000 years old).

That red box should have numbers in it. Perhaps you were accidentally sent a promotional copy! Another theory could be that it slipped past the mechanism that embosses those digits.
Enjoy those shows. The quality is top notch.

I finally got the RFK box set. It does sound incredible and the first show has great first set. The set I got was unopened but has no number up top, it does say Limited Edition of 15000 on back, blank red box up top where numbers seem to be. Were the first run of these non-numbered?
Citrus JJ

Notes:
–splice at 3:41 in The Other One
–several minor blemishes
during the stereo portion of the show
–minor splice at 0:06 in Feedback
–
-Sound Forge was used for some minor edits, including a slight pitch
correction for an excerpt and to fix a brief repeat during The Eleven.

The Confusion:
There has been a great deal of confusion regarding
the date of 8-22-68, and this shn set still has several uncertain elements.
Maybe some of this info can help:
–“source 1” (mono),
has circulated fairly commonly under “8-22-68”, though the Alligator
that accompanies that recording is actually the version from 8-21-68.
Still, there is no certainty that this material covering Stephen
through New Potato is from 8-22. It does not match any other
circulating material, though, and the intro from Bill Graham clearly
places this at the Fillmore. Furthermore, this show may circulate
with Dark Star as the opener, as it follows the Bill Graham intro.
However, Bill Graham introduced the band at the start of each set
in those days, so I’ve kept Dark Star where it was on my copy,
in position to start the 2nd set.
–“source 2” is in stereo, and has
been dated as 8-22-68 from David Gans. This portion often circulates
following an alternate mix of the material that would make up
“Two From The Vault” (8-24-68).

Other bits of reference:
–Phil’s bass is
out of tune during New Potato on 8-22, unlike the phenominal 8-24 version
—
the Alligator from 8-21 differs as it does not segue into Caution
—
the Alligator/Caution from 8-23 differs in that it does not segue
into WBYG after Feedback
–the minor cut in Feedback on 8-22 may be
disguised on some copies

Lastly, this probably isn’t the end of confusion
for 8-22, but as of Jan ’03, it’s a best guess

Update 30Jan2018 - As I continue going through hundreds of tapes I've come across another tape that is labeled 8/22/68! So it turns out I had two tapes with the same date, but one was mislabeled. Interestingly, the set-list for the one I found today is Dark Star>St. Stephen>Eleven>Death Don't>Lovelight>Alligator>Caution>Feedback>We Bid You Goodnight. So it doesn't match the other tape, or archive.org, or Midnight Cafe. Lovelight is not listed anywhere (except on my tape.) So I think I have another mis-labeled tape....I wonder what it is.

Thanks JIm....that's incredible - did you just happen to remember the intro from 8/22/68? That's it. It's strange - my tape is clearly labeled with the date and venue 3/22/68 State Fair Coliseum, but from the Graham introduction it is quite clearly 8/22/68. The archive info is great - it seems there is still some mystery regarding this tape. My tape is Dark Star, That's It for the Other One, New Potato Caboose, St. Stephen, The Eleven, Death Don't Have No Mercy, Alligator, Feedback. So it's all been re-arranged for some reason (archive starts with St Stephen Eleven Death Don't.) And there's no Caution on my tape at all. Or, at least, no Caution words.
This was fun - maybe I'll find some more mysterious tapes....like the one that's labeled Magoo's Pizza Parlor '66 but seems to be some early studio stuff.

You had posted that you can't believe there are still copies of this left because the shows are incredible. I don't get it either. They're going to stop releasing 80s material if people don't start buying these. Maybe that record store guy was right. The last 80s release was what? 30 Trips? I mean other than Dave's Picks 20, because that's selling out no matter what, since subscription buyers are so many. I guess a lot of 30 Trips may have sold to people who primarily buy 70s, so maybe that's not a good example. What was the last a la cart 80s release?

A couple years ago when Swaggy P was the Lakers star, Jim INSISTED on being called "Waggy J"

I've hooked up my tape player and dug out boxes of tapes. I'm listening to a tape that is labeled 3/22/68 State Fair Coliseum Detroit MI. Deadbase has the show listed but no setlist. I've also checked in the deadbase updates in Deadbase 50, but no setlist for that day. I also looked at the mislabeled tapes section of Deadbase, but I don't see anything listed for 3/22/68. So I'm wondering - should I forward this tape to Stu Nixon for the next deadbase? Should I send it to Charlie Miller for the archive? I'm pretty sure it's a mislabeled tape, because at the very beginning someone introduces the band "clean-cut but morally corrupt" and I'm pretty sure it's Bill Graham. I don't think he would have introduced the band in Detroit. Can anyone identify this tape from that brief introduction? Thanks

Hi Jim - it's actually way more boring. I was signing up for an e-mail account at hotmail or yahoo or one of those a few years ago and all the names I chose (randall.weaver, randallweaver, rweaver, randyweaver, randy.weaver) were already in use, so i gave up and had Hotmail (or Yahoo) create a username for me. And i've stuck with it. But maybe I'll develop a story using your suggestion. I'm also a fan of the British band XTC - I bet they were thinking along the same lines when they came up with their name. That incredibly cute beagle you see as my icon is also Jim, by the way.

Its always disappointed me that I have never really got The Band. I wish I did, but it hasn't happened. They have always been more interesting to me than exciting. I have their first two albums, and "Festival Express " and "The Last Waltz' on dvd. The thing I like most about them are the singing and the songs of Richard Manuel.

But their influence is undeniably vast. I have even read somewhere that The Stones stripped down approach on "Beggars Banquet" was in part influenced by "Music From The Big Pink".

Hey Dennis - I think I had that same K-Tel album....20 Explosive Hits! I definitely remember the Who being on there (I Can See For Miles.) Also the Tee Set, Jaggerz (?) singing "The Rapper." Best of all it had both Box Tops hits - The Letter and Cry Like a Baby. I still had the album cover a few years ago, but when I went to play it one time, I found Steve Miller Band "Fly LIke an Eagle" inside the cover. Interesting. 20 EXPLOSIVE HITS! (OR maybe I went to play Steve Miller Band and found the explosive hits inside the Steve Miller cover. Either way it was a surprise to me.)

I have a small chunk of k-tel albums (more if you count the K-Tel knock-off's,,,, is that a thing?) I used to buy them at the 7-11 in 1970-72 they were cheap, had a mix of tunes and I could walk there. Where else can you get 1 album that had - the who (I can see for miles), Bob Lind (Elusive Butterfly), Lloyd Price (Stagger Lee)on the SAME album. :-)

First.. I can't speak for the anyone in the GD, but it appears they did not find The Band boring at all, they played with them at one of their most famous gigs, Watkins Glen.. they toured with the Band (less Robertson) in 83 I think too. Jerry covered one of those 'boring' songs The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. The Dead also has what I consider terrific covers of The Weight, thinking 4/28/90 being among the best. Phil has been heard saying fond things of the Band and especially Levon.

Second.. Lots of others were strongly impacted by the music of The Band.

Elton John was among the many musicians influenced by Levon Helm and The Band. That impact is memorialized in the song “Levon,” which John and writing partner Bernie Taupin named after the rock legend. Dylan was, of course, fond of the Band. Eric Clapton recalls having his world turned upside down upon hearing the album, "Music from Big Pink," by The Band.

You mentioned The Last Waltz.. look at who dropped by to say thanks on that famous night.. attracting the attention of Martin Scorsese to make the film.

In additional to The Last Waltz, the special guest list on the show/DVD/CD Love for Levon is stunning:

These guys had a big influence on Rock and Roll that can be heard woven in tapestry of other music a lot of us (especially here) listen to everyday. I can understand if it's not your thing, but putting them in the same class as Loverboy is sacrilege and using the words "is boring" ...well, that's opinion. Shenanigans I say.

The Last Waltz is a very enjoyable concert film. I love Bob Dylan, but think less of the The Band without him. They were kind of boring, really, and didn't sing too well.

They also pioneered this thing of wearing, like, depressing early 20th-century clothing, having beards, not smiling. It still persists to this day. It's totally a fashion statement, people like Jack White carrying on in this way, pretending it isn't. I find it pretentious... as well as a bad look.

So yes, they get lumped in with Loverboy. Somewhere, Levon is rolling in his grave. Too bad. He never wrote anything as cool as "Turn Me Loose," nothing as ass-shaking as "The Kid Is Hot Tonight."

first, I could have gone with French Military jokes, easy, like mother in law jokes (I think they're really a thing of the past like drunk jokes), I could have used the one about being unable to go to war because the white sheet factory was bombed out, but noooooo, I will not go there! :-)

But really if you're a puzzle head, check out my flickr puzzle page, I am but a humble bumbler of puzzles, but have managed a few. You really should check out billsville mike, rates himself a "pro" and just maybe he is.

But on the Beatles front, more than a cartoon, they have a fuckin' puzzle!!!! Truth be told, I have at least two "dead" puzzle. You can bet your sweet bippee Keith and Mick don't have one!

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